"I
really enjoyed this show in the early 1970's, a western about 2 famous
bank robbers struggling to go straight, using the alias' of Smith
and Jones. Every week they got into crazy adventures, where their
identities were constantly in danger of being found out by the law.

"The
stars seemed to be real charismatic, but it lasted only maybe 2 years,
because one of them (Peter Duel?) committed suicide. It ran on Thursday
nights opposite Flip Wilson. Looking back, it must have been influenced
by the Newman/Redford movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. How
about some info on this forgotten gem?"

Heyes
was a silvery-tongued safecracker and card sharp, while Jones was a
dead-eye gunslinger, who, in spite of all the banks and trains he robbed,
never shot anyone. Desiring to lead upstanding lives, Heyes and Curry
are promised a pardon from the governor if they can stay out of trouble
for one year. In the meantime, however, they would remain wanted.

"That's a good
deal?" Heyes smirks.

For three television
seasons Heyes and Curry were chased across the American West (many scenes
were filmed on location in Moab, Utah) by posses, bounty hunters, and
fellow outlaws looking to settle a score. Despite their earnest attempt
to lead honest lives, circumstances would often dictate that they fall
back on the tools of their former trade to get themselves out of trouble.

'Alias Smith and
Jones' was able to capture a fair audience with its catchy theme song
and unique opening credit sequence where a gravelly-voice narrator provides
unique insight into the adventures of our likeable anti-heroes. Sally
Field joined the show for two episodes as Clementine Hale, a fun-loving
rogue who simultaneously spelled pleasure and trouble for the guys.

'Alias
Smith and Jones' wasn't able to displace NBC's 'The Flip Wilson Show'
from the Thursday 8:00 time slot. On December 31, 1971, Pete Duel filmed
at the studio all day before returning home with his girlfriend to watch
the episode of 'ASJ' being broadcast on television that night. According
to his girlfriend, after watching the episode, they both went into the
bedroom, where Duel told her he would see her later and returned to
the living room.

A
few minutes later she heard a gunshot and found Duel lying underneath
his Christmas tree with a wound to the head and a gun in his hand. The
31 year-old actor died later that night. Cast members and co-workers
insist Duel seemed perfectly fine and healthy on the soundstage that
day and couldn't imagine why he would commit suicide. Duel, however,
did state in an interview with the LA Times shortly before his death
that he was struggling a bit with the stress and creative compromises
of doing a weekly television show.

With
several episodes featuring Duel already in the can, ABC had to move
fast to recast the role of Heyes. Roger Davis, who had been doing the
program's opening and closing narrations (but whose greatest claim to
fame was being Jaclyn Smith's first husband), was chosen.

Although
handsome, he didn't possess Duel's shifty demeanor. Then, for the 1972-73
season, ABC scheduled 'ASJ' on Saturdays at 8:00 opposite 'All in the
Family,' who would rule that time slot for the next five years.

Not surprisingly,
ABC cancelled 'Alias Smith and Jones' in January of 1973.